... Cormac Ryan, Milton Academy, Middlesex Magic – He made a significant jump during the high school season, climbing into New England’s top 10, and is poised to make yet another jump following the grassroots season. Ryan has evolved into a skilled big guard with a high basketball I.Q. In July, he even started to show that he was capable of taking over games when it mattered the most down the stretch.

Eric Ayala, Putnam Science Academy, We-R1 – New England fans weren’t at all surprised to see Ayala take on a co-starring role next to Trevon Duval this summer in leading We-R1 to the UAA championship. In fact, we saw him do the same thing at PSA last year. The skilled and smooth guard arrived in New England as a shot-maker but has transformed himself into a versatile, playmaking guard.

Ethan Wright, Newton North, New England Playaz – He went from a virtual unknown (to college coaches) to the high-major radar over the course of one grassroots season. Wright is skilled, smart and tough. He shoots it from deep, has some bounce at the rim and is a full year younger than most of the guys on this list with plenty more upside left to discover.

2018 HOOPSEEN TOP-100 RANKINGSWhat more is there to say about Marvin Bagley III than dominant? The 6-foot-9 power forward is an unbelievable prospect that brings great upside, current production, versatile ball skills, and improved defensive abilities that make him elite among just an mediocre class. The lefty has some Chris Bosh to him where he works well facing the basket out of the short corner regions of the floor, yet is comfortable enough in putting the ball on the floor from off the perimeter. His toughness has improved and in the meantime, his numbers on the final stat sheet display just how good he is where, after playing a year up on the Nike EYBL circuit this past summer, averaged nearly 21 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks per outing. Down to a final six of Kentucky, Duke, Oregon, Arizona State, Arizona, and UCLA, Bagley is the best that there is and best that there can be in the 2018 class.

We talked briefly about the abundance, or lack thereof, of prospects that could give a fight for Marvin Bagley as the top overall prospect within the 2018 class. If there is one guy that could make a run for the top dog status, it is Zion Williamson. The 6-foot-7 forward out of South Carolina may be the most consistently productive ball player in all of his class. Regardless of the type of opposition that he has faced off against, the Spartanburg Day School star has dominated through sheer physicality, deceptive ball skills as a playmaker in the frontcourt, to go along with a killer mindset that is always in place. During last month’s adidas Nations, an event bringing in some of the top amateur basketball prospects to one setting, Williamson answered every question about him as he missed just one of his first 22 shots from the field. Drawing comparisons between Larry Johnson and Draymond Green, Williamson is an elite, top tier producer and ballplayer in 2018, landing himself at the number two overall spot.

Milton Academy guard Cormac Ryan made his first appearance in the national rankings earlier this week when ESPN announced their updated ESPN 60.

Ryan's debut came as the 54th overall ranked prospect in the class of 2018.

The 6-foot-5 guard has made consistent and rapid improvements since arriving in New England. His first appearance in the region came in the 2014 Elite 75 Frosh/Soph, when he still attended school in New York. He returned for the 2015 Stars of Tomorrow Camp and shortly afterwards landed his first division I offer from Penn.

Updated 2018 rankings begin to roll out today with the release of all six New England states.

The lists are small, and intentionally so, since only half of their high school career is now complete and the time when prospects really begin to separate themselves is now only just beginning.

The exception is the state of Massachusetts, which possesses tremendous depth in the rising junior class relative to the rest of the region, along with plenty of star power. Cormac Ryan, who made his ESPN 60 debut last week, settles in as the top prospect in the class followed by two more national names in A.J. Reeves and Nate Laszewski, who both already hold multiple high-major scholarship offers. David Duke and Arashma Parks round out the top five while Ethan Wright is the top ranked prospect in the MIAA.

Why he's so dangerous: Swider's stroke is textbook. He wastes no motion, his feet are always set and his release is quick and balanced. Add in that he's 6-foot-8 and has effortless range and you can see why he's become one of the hottest recruits in America. During last weekend's first session of the Nike EYBL he was 12-of-16 from deep.

Two of New England’s top 2018 prospects saw their hard work pay off with the highest level of rewards in the last week. Mass Rivals and Cushing wing David Duke earned a roster spot on one of the two American teams at this weekend’s Adidas Euro Camp in Italy. Within hours of Duke touching down in Italy, BABC and St. Andrew’s wing Cole Swider earned his most recent scholarship offer from legendary Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

New England’s highest ranked national prospect and Vermont’s versatile 6’10” Big/Wing/PG, Simi Shittu, has added to his resume with huge performances in the EYBL while leading his CIA Bounce program to a Peach Jam berth. Others who have raised their stock: